Logistics, Artillery and Deception: The Real Reasons 2nd El Alamein Broke Rommel’s Army

Описание: The Second Battle of El Alamein was the turning point of the North African campaign – but why, exactly? In this episode, we unpack how artillery, logistics, doctrine and leadership combined to break Rommel’s army in the desert. From the 9th Australian Division’s guns to Montgomery’s plan, we dig into the details of how this battle was planned and fought, and what it still means for modern land warfare and joint fires doctrine today.
This episode covers:
Why was the Second Battle of El Alamein a decisive turning point?
How did 9th Australian Division’s artillery shape Montgomery’s plan to attack Rommel?
What lessons from Gazala, Tobruk and the Cauldron disaster reshaped British doctrine?
Why did Shelford Bidwell call El Alamein the artillery turning point of WWII?
How did Brigadier Ramsey coordinate 360 guns to smash Axis defences?
What role did minefields, obstacles and survey data play in the fire plan?
How did Exercise Bumper in Britain transform combined-arms thinking before El Alamein?
Why were German and Italian artillery tactics less flexible than British and Australian approaches?
How did Auchinleck’s appreciation and early defensive battles set conditions for victory?
What made the El Alamein position geographically and logistically ideal for the Eighth Army?
In what ways did the 9th Division exploit weaker Italian morale and positions?
How did failures at Ruin Ridge and Operation Manhood influence later artillery planning?
Why were reliable communications, observation and air support critical to the gunnery battle?
What can today’s land forces learn from El Alamein about massed fires?
How did the victory at El Alamein shape later campaigns in Tunisia and Italy?
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0:00 25-pounders and the question of Second El Alamein artillery
00:15 How Australian 9th Division artillery helped win Second El Alamein
01:07 Brigadier Ramsey’s 360-gun fire plan for Second El Alamein
02:44 El Alamein artillery reading list – Smith, Horner, Coates, Bidwell
04:23 From Gazala Gallop to First El Alamein, Stalingrad and Operation Blue
06:11 Why 9th Division’s guns mattered to victory at El Alamein
08:06 Exercise Bumper – fixing British artillery doctrine before El Alamein
10:17 Bidwell’s verdict: Second El Alamein as the artillery turning point
12:10 Coates on British vs German command and combined-arms in the desert
16:31 Tobruk, minefields and the road from Gazala to El Alamein
18:19 Misused artillery at Gazala – portee guns, bad fire plans and the Cauldron
20:56 Choosing the El Alamein line – geography, depth and logistics
22:37 First Battle of El Alamein – ad hoc defence and “fruit salad” artillery
24:31 Australian 9th Division counter-attacks at Tel el Eisa and in front of El Alamein
26:36 Weaker Italian morale and exploiting it with artillery and armour
28:29 Ruin Ridge, Kiwi attacks and costly failures of coordination
30:24 23rd Armoured Brigade destroyed in El Alamein’s minefields
32:12 Operation Manhood – 24th Brigade’s failed breakthrough at El Alamein
34:10 Auchinleck’s appreciation, Rommel’s exhaustion and the lessons for El Alamein
36:56 Churchill sacks Auchinleck – Alexander, Strafer Gott and British 8th Army command
38:47 Monty takes over – setting up the 9th Division artillery story at Second El Alamein

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